Strength at Home Couples Program (PTSD-Focused Relationship Enhancement Therapy for Returning Veterans)
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The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00827879 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : January 23, 2009
Last Update Posted : July 12, 2017
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Aggression Post Traumatic Stress Disorders | Behavioral: Strength at Home Couples Group Behavioral: Supportive Group Therapy | Not Applicable |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 156 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Prevention |
Official Title: | Strength at Home Couples Program (Formerly: PTSD-Focused Relationship Enhancement Therapy for Returning Veterans and Their Partners) |
Study Start Date : | February 2009 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | October 2014 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | October 2014 |
Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Strength at Home Couples Group
PTSD-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Couples
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Behavioral: Strength at Home Couples Group
A multiple site randomized trial will compare 10 sessions of PF-RET to 10 sessions of a supportive group therapy. PF-RET focuses on 1) deployment stress and traumatic experiences impacting intimate relationships; 2) communication between intimate partners; 3) conflict and anger management; and 4) closeness and intimacy.
Other Names:
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Placebo Comparator: Supportive Group Therapy
Supportive therapy for couples
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Behavioral: Supportive Group Therapy
A general support group designed to enhance support for healthy relationship building.
Other Name: Psychological/Behavioral Placebo Control |
- Evidence of change in incidence and frequency of intimate partner physical assault and psychological aggression assessed by questionnaires and clinical interviews. [ Time Frame: Change determined by assessments pre and post treatment, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months following treatment ]
- Evidence of change in risk factors (i.e. PTSD symptoms, anger, relationship satisfaction) implicated in the development of IPA assessed by questionnaires, clinical interviews, and psychophysiological measurements. [ Time Frame: Change determined by assessments pre and post treatment, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months following treatment ]

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years to 60 Years (Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria:
- couples must have been in a committed relationship for at least six months
- veterans and their partners must be over the age of 18
- male members of the couple report no occurrence of physical aggression during the last six months in their current relationship on the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2; Straus et al, 1996)
- female members of the couple may report that they have engaged in low level aggression during the past six months in their current relationship on the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2; Straus et al., 1996)
- one partner of the couple averages at or below a score of 29 on the 6-item Quality of Marriage Index (QMI; Norton, 1983) or a 100 or below on the Dyadic Adjustment Score (DAS; Spanier, 1976), which are cutoff scores often used to distinguish distressed and non-distressed couples (e.g., Slep, Heyman, Williams, Van Dyke, & O'Leary, 2006), or one member of the couple endorses veteran-perpetrated psychological aggression (defined as scoring above the 75%ile on the CTS2 minor psychological aggression subscale, or any endorsement of items on the severe psychological aggression subscale on the CTS2 or the Dominance/Intimidation scale of the Multidimensional Measure of Emotional Abuse, MMEA; Murphy & Hoover, 1999;)
- both members of the couple provide research consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- reading difficulties prevent valid completion of the assessment instruments
- the participant evidences severe organicity or active psychosis
- the participant expresses prominent suicidal or homicidal ideation
- the participant meets diagnostic criteria for alcohol and/or drug dependence, if not in early full remission or sustained partial remission
- female members of the couple report their violence includes the use of weapons during the past six months in their current relationship on the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2; Straus et al., 1996)
- violence perpetrated by female members of the couple produces injuries in men
- male members of the couple indicate they are fearful of the female partner
- male members of the couple report they are physically violent in any way during the past six months or severely violent in the past 12 months of their current relationship on the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2; Straus et al., 1996)
- male members of the couple have had any bruising or injuries inflicted by the female partner during the past six months in their current relationship. Criteria b through d will be assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI; Sheehan et al., 1998) and clinical interview

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00827879
United States, Massachusetts | |
National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System | |
Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02130 | |
United States, Rhode Island | |
Providence VA Medical Center | |
Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02908 |
Principal Investigator: | Casey T Taft, Ph.D. | National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System | |
Principal Investigator: | Suzannah Creech, PhD | Providence VA Medical Center |
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Responsible Party: | Casey Taft, Principal Investigator, Boston VA Research Institute, Inc. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00827879 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
U49CE001248 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) |
First Posted: | January 23, 2009 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | July 12, 2017 |
Last Verified: | July 2017 |
Intimate partner aggression Couples intervention PTSD Veterans |
Prevention Violence Prevention Prevention of pertetration of intimate partner aggression. |
Stress Disorders, Traumatic Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic Aggression |
Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders Mental Disorders Behavioral Symptoms |